Heart attack or cardiac arrest: Aren't they the same thing?

People often think that a cardiac arrest and a heart attack mean the same thing, but they are different.

Putting it simply, your heart is a pump which is made up of two systems - a plumbing system and an electrical system.

What is a heart attack?

The heart has coronary arteries which supply the heart muscle with the blood and nutrients it needs.

A heart attack is when one of the coronary arteries becomes completely blocked with plaque and blood clot – much like a blocked pipe. This blockage stops the flow of blood to the heart i.e.a plumbing problem.

This image below shows what happens during a heart attack.

Some people have a higher chance of having a heart attack than others. This can be due to their family history (genes) or age.

There are also certain lifestyle factors that increase your risk of a heart attack such as having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, or being physically inactive, overweight or a smoker.

The treatment for a heart attack requires opening the blocked artery with a stent or by creating a bypass around the blockage, known as cardiac bypass surgery.

A person experiencing a heart attack usually remains conscious (awake) and experiences symptoms such as pressure in their chest or shortness of breath.